I like a split government. I would actually like it even more if we had more than two major parties. I think more gets accomplished when the differing sides have to work together. This is the way our government is supposed to work. I may not like all of the compromises, but they almost certainly better represent the American people than just doing what I would want done. And, I’m not always right. It is good to hear the arguments from all sides. I don’t think either party should ever be able to hold the government hostage to its whims.
Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Financial Politics (2)
19
Dec
There is a Bible story about Joseph interpreting the Pharaoh’s dream of seven fat cows followed by seven starving cows. Joseph tells the Pharaoh that it means that there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and that in order to make it through the famine years, they should save during the years of plenty.
This is sound fiscal advice, advice I wish our government would follow. We may not know when the lean years will come, but they always do. They ALWAYS do. During the years of plenty, we should be funding our future.
Curing AIDS
17
Dec
In my lifetime, AIDS went from a guaranteed death sentence to a chronic illness. This is a good thing, but…
I can’t help but wonder if we could have cured AIDS/HIV by now if that’s what our pharmaceutical companies were looking to do. March of Dimes worked. We found a cure/vaccine for polio. We’ve done it for measles, mumps, rubella. The thing is, a shot you get once in your life, or once every 10 years, doesn’t make money for the drug companies.
Drugs you have to take every day for the rest of your life, though, that’s good business.
On Being a Feminist (8)
13
Dec
There’s a suit against Wal-Mart that going to the Supreme Court. The only thing being decided is whether or not the plaintiffs can bring the case as a class action. It involves up to 1.6 million women, in 3,400 stores and 170 job classifications. Too big, too difficult to manage, Wal-Mart claims.
But if there is no class, will Wal-Mart ever have to change their practice of discriminating against women? Will 1.6 million women sue? Or 3,400, or 170? Not likely, because most women Wal-Mart employs don’t have the resources.
Being poor is not a license for employers to discriminate.
On Being a Feminist (7)
12
Dec
I am one of the lucky ones. Let me be very clear on this. I have wonderful, supportive parents and family, who are proud of my accomplishments, who would have been proud of me not matter what.
I have an amazing husband who has known from the beginning that I would be the primary earner, and does not feel threatened by it. (And does his share of the housework.)
I work in a field where women are prevalent in executive positions.
But just because I haven’t felt discriminated against doesn’t give me the luxury of pretending the problem doesn’t exist.
On Being a Feminist (6)
11
Dec
My father asked me if he had ever told me I couldn’t do something because I was a girl. He never did. But the messages we pass on to our children aren’t always conscious. What follows is not meant to be a critique of my parents, simply a notation of how we foster different attitudes for our daughters than we do our sons.
Our family started collections for my brother and I. His: model airplanes and baseball caps. Mine: perfume bottles and dolls. We both went shooting with our father. I was never given my own gun; my brother was.
Fund Raising
19
Nov
154 Republicans voted against extending jobless benefits for those out of work more than 6 months. Those benefits start expiring Dec 1, right in the heart of the holiday season. When our economy is looking for a nice big boost of retail spending, over two million families will be trying to figure out how to live on $1200/month less. Can’t extend those benefits unless we can pay for them.
But heaven forbid we let tax cuts for families making over $250k/year ($20,800/month) expire. If I were trying to raise money, I know which neighborhood I’d be knocking on doors in.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (4)
13
Nov
The Pentagon is gets it. The soldiers get it (as the Pentagon’s opinion is formed by survey responses from the soldiers). We know courts get it, and the President gets it. So why doesn’t Congress get it? Why can’t Congress see that it is time to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?
Is it because the average Congressman is twice as old as the average active duty soldier? Or because Congress only has a 14% minority population compared to 25% of our soldiers?
Congress- listen to the people you represent, all of us. It is time. Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.